Government scurry to name Singh as new army chief

The government on Saturday hurriedly named Lt-Gen. Bikram Singh as the next army chief, ending months of speculation over the successor of Gen. V.K. Singh who was embroiled in an age dispute with the defence ministry.

Lt-Gen. Bikram Singh, who is eastern army commander at the moment, will assume office on May 31 after Gen. V.K. Singh retires.

Though Lt-Gen. Bikram Singh's appointment to the top post was a foregone conclusion, the government showed urgency in declaring him as the next chief.

The convention is that the successor to the top office in the armed forces is announced two months before the retirement of the incumbent. In this case, the announcement has been advanced by a month.

The urgency shown in naming the next chief is being seen as the outcome of the trust deficit between the defence ministry and Gen. V.K. Singh, who dragged the government to the Supreme Court to settle a dispute over his age.

After he failed to get a reprieve from the court, it was widely believed that Gen. V.K. Singh will resign from office to unsettle the succession chain.

Though not a rule, service chiefs are appointed on the basis of seniority and Gen. V.K. Singh's exit from office before his due retirement date would have scuttled Lt-Gen. Bikram Singh's chances to become the next chief.

Considering the bitter tussle in the army leading to insinuations that Gen. V.K. Singh was against the appointment of Lt- Gen. Bikram Singh as the next chief, the government decided to take no chances and name the successor.

Attempts were also made to put Lt-Gen. Bikram Singh in the dock by alleging that an encounter he was involved in Jammu and Kashmir earlier was fake.